AUTO SWITCHING CIRCUIT FOUNDED ON ILLUMINANCE
Technical Field
The present invention relates, in general, to an automatic switching circuit using light and, more particularly, to an automatic power switching circuit using light, which automatically switches off or on power supplied from an outlet or a power bar, which performs an intermediating function of supplying electricity to electrical and electronic appliances, depending on indoor illuminance.
Background Art
Generally, most electrical and electronic appliances used indoors are used according to purposes by inserting the plugs of the respective appliances into outlets embedded in a wall surface or power bars connected to the outlets.
However, when the use of the electrical and electronic appliances is intended to stop, switches installed on the respective appliances are manipulated or a switch installed on a power bar is manipulated, thus integrally switching off the power of the appliances connected to the power bar. Alternatively, the plugs of the appliances are removed from the outlets or the power bar to stop the use of appliances.
In contrast, when electrical and electronic appliances are intended to be used, users achieve their objectives by conducting manipulation of the appliances in a procedure opposite to the above procedure.
However, when the electrical and electronic appliances are turned off by manipulating only the switches thereof or the switch of the power bar or when a user does not remove the plugs from the outlets or the power bar, there is a problem in that standby power is always supplied for the next use of the appliances in the case of some electrical and electronic appliances, thus wasting
electrical energy. A method of removing plugs from outlets or a power bar is also problematic in that it causes user dissatisfaction because of the inconvenience of personally manipulating and removing the plugs.
Disclosure of the Invention
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic power switching circuit using light, which is installed in an outlet or a power bar for performing an intermediating function of supplying power to various electrical and electronic appliances, so as to improve user convenience, save electric energy and prevent the occurrence of fire when the electrical and electronic appliances are used indoors, so that, if indoor illumination is high, a current is allowed to flow through the outlet or power bar, while if the indoor illumination is low, a current flowing through the outlet or power bar is switched off, thus automatically switching off power without a user personally manipulating switches of the appliances or removing plugs thereof.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides an automatic power switching circuit using light, comprising an illuminance detecting unit for detecting illuminance according to the brightness of light, a comparing unit for comparing an output voltage obtained by an illumination detection signal output from the illumination detecting unit with a reference voltage, an amplifying unit for comparing the illumination detection signal input to a comparator of the comparing unit with the reference voltage to operate a relay and then generating a detection signal used to operate a gate of a thyristor device, a switching unit for controlling bidirectional currents of an input voltage and a supplied voltage, and a rectifying unit for converting an AC current input from a power supply into a DC current and supplying the DC current to the relay.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of an automatic power switching circuit using light according to the present invention.
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
FIG. 1 is a view showing the construction of an automatic power switching circuit using light according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic power switching circuit includes an illuminance detecting unit 10, a comparing unit 20, an amplifying unit 30, a switching unit 40, a rectifying circuit unit 50, and electrical parts including diodes, condensers and resistors supporting the above-described components by allowing a current to flow only in a specific direction.
The illuminance detecting unit 10 includes a light receiving element and a resistor to detect illuminance according to the brightness of light.
The comparing unit 20 is constructed so that, if the brightness of light decreases to a predetermined illuminance or below, a comparator compares an input voltage and a preset reference voltage to each other and outputs a signal only when the input voltage is higher than the reference voltage. The reference voltage of the comparator is adjusted to be varied with resistance values.
If the signal output from the illuminance detecting unit 10 is input to the comparator, the amplifying unit 30 generates a signal according to the result obtained by comparing the signal output from the illuminance detecting unit 10 with the reference voltage and then supports the operation of the switching unit 40.
The switching unit 40 functions to control bidirectional currents of both an input voltage received from the illuminance detecting unit 10 through the
amplifying unit 30, and a voltage supplied from a power supply, and is comprised of a triac, resistors and a diode bridge.
The rectifying circuit unit 50 rectifies an Alternating Current (AC) current using both a transformer and a diode bridge to convert the AC current into a Direct Current (DC) current because a current received from the power supply is the AC current, and uses the rectified current as power used to drive a relay.
The operation of the automatic power switching circuit using light according to the present invention having the above construction is described below. First, a case where the power of the automatic power switching circuit is switched off is described.
A current from the power supply is input to the rectifying circuit unit 50 comprised of a transformer TI and a diode bridge BG1, and then rectified from an AC current to a DC current. The DC current is used as operating power of a relay RYl through a resistor Rl and a condenser CI . At this time, a zener diode
ZD1 functions to prevent a reverse current from flowing into the rectifying circuit unit.
A part of the input current is input to a triac Ql and a resistor R4 connected in parallel with each other in the switching unit 40, passes through a diode bridge BG2, and is then output to a variable resistor NR1 through to a resistor Rl 1 and a gate of a thyristor device Q3. The gate of the thyristor device
Q3 is connected to a relay RYl to function to connect or disconnect the relay
RYl depending on the current variation of a light receiving element Cds of the illuminance detecting unit 10. The thyristor device Q3 uses characteristics that a current consistently flows only in the direction of the resistor R10 in the switching unit 40 unless a voltage of an anode of the thyristor device Q3 becomes
"0".
The current input through an input terminal, having passed through the thyristor device Q3 and the variable resistor VR1, is input to the comparing unit which obtains a voltage difference between two input signals so as to compare the
input current with a current input from the light receiving element Cds of the illuminance detecting unit 10.
At this time, the variation of the current input from the light receiving element Cds is obtained when the brightness of light is highest, so that a resistance is lowest, and then a relatively large amount of current flows. In this way, since the current input from the power supply terminal is less than the current input from the illuminance detecting unit, the comparator U1B outputs the current input from the illuminance detecting unit to the amplifying unit 30 through a resistor R9 connected in parallel with a diode D2 and a condenser C3. The gate of the thyristor device Q3 is disconnected from the relay due to a current amplified by the amplifying unit including an operational amplifier U1A, so that the current from the power supply terminal, which has passed through a transistor Q2, the relay RYl and a zener diode ZD2 and switched through resistors R2 and R2, is prevented from being output to an output terminal, thus switching off the automatic power switching circuit using light.
On the other hand, if the automatic power switching circuit is switched on, a current input through the input terminal to the switching unit passes through the resistor Rl 1, the thyristor device Q3, the resistor R10 and the variable resistor VR1, and is then input to the comparing unit. At this time, a current input to the light receiving element of the illuminance detecting unit is relatively low, because the indoor illuminance is low, the brightness of light is lowest and the resistance becomes largest.
Therefore, since the current input from the illuminance detecting unit is less than the current input through the input terminal, the gate of the thyristor device Q3 and the relay RYl are connected to each other due to the current having passed through the amplifying unit, so that the current input from the switching unit flows into the relay RYl, thus enabling power to be supplied to the output terminal. Therefore, the power of an outlet or a power bar is switched on and thus electrical and electronic appliances can be used.
Industrial Applicability
As described above, the present invention provides an automatic power switching circuit using light, which compares a current input through an input terminal with a current detected by an illuminance detecting unit, so that technology opposite to conventional technology of switching on power when the illuminance is low and switching off the power when the illuminance is high is implemented, thus enabling a user utilizing various electrical appliances indoors to save electricity for the appliances consuming power when the user does not manipulate a switch or even when the user manipulates the switch, and thus contributing the prevention of fires.